A Songkhla woman’s secret for winning lotteries may have been revealed on Facebook – she worships at the fibreglass effigy of cheery traffic cop Ja Choey (Sergeant Standstill).

Facebook page Ngan Ratchakan (Government Jobs) on Tuesday posted a video of the older woman, who was not identified, paying respect to Ja Choey at a roadside in Muang Songkhla and draping it with a garland.

In the post, which has been shared 2,200 times and drawn of multitude of comments – not all of them serious – it’s claimed the woman has won prizes in three consecutive lottery draws and seen her prayers answered that her child pass a recruitment exam to become a government official.

In gratitude for this last blessing she held an elaborate offering rite.

The effigy’s location was identified from Sergeant Standstill’s uniform, which is that of Muang Songkhla police.

Variations on the plastic cop – often smiling but always at least polite – stand at places around the country where traffic laws are routinely ignored, as a reminder to motorists that police take an interest in their behaviour.

A typical comment on the Facebook post was that the “grandma” was entitled to her personal beliefs and she wasn’t causing any trouble.

“Nasa is preparing to go to Mars but Thais are still paying respect to sculptures,” another observer observed, less kindly.